Salford Red Devils are delighted to confirm the signing of prolific try-scoring winger Ken Sio on a three-year deal.
The Australian winger spent time in the Betfred Super League with Hull Kingston Rovers in 2015 and 2016 scoring 26 tries for the Robins.
Sio has spent the last two seasons with NRL side Newcastle Knights crossing for 17 tries in 41 appearances and made his name for Parramatta Eels scoring 37 tries in 57 appearances between 2011 and 2014.
Salford Red Devils Head Coach, Ian Watson, said: โWe are delighted to add Ken to our team and would like to welcome his wife and children to Salford.
โThis signing is an outstanding capture for the Club as Ken is a player who can play full-back, winger and centre and comes with great experience.
โKen is a fantastic person with an excellent work ethic which is essential in our environment here at Salford Red Devils.
โHis all-round ability and track record as a proven finisher in both the Super League and NRL will only add to our back line and help us build momentum as we head into the 2019 season.โ
Director of Rugby and Operations, Ian Blease, said: โWeโre really pleased to have been able to bring in a player of Kenโs quality ahead of the 2019 season.
โKen is a powerful, pacey winger or centre with a terrific try-scoring record and weโre really excited to see him play in the famous shirt for Salford.
โA lot of hard work has gone in behind the scenes to get this deal over the line and I know we again beat off strong competition for Ken from other Super League clubs. Iโm confident that this will be the first of a number of signings which will help bolster our squad for next year.
โIt is important that the Salford Red Devils supporters continue to get behind the Club by purchasing their Season Tickets and signing up to our Squad Builder scheme so that we can continue to make signings such as this.
โIโd like to personally thank all the fans who have purchased their Season Tickets and Squad Builder memberships already โ it is very much appreciated.”
Tag: Newcastle Knights
Michael Dobson set to leave the Red Devils
Michael Dobson is set to leave the Salford Red Devils at the end of the 2017 season to return to Australia with his family.
Unfortunately, Dobson was not expected to play again this season due to needing an operation on a thumb injury sustained in the defeat against Wigan but this has now been confirmed as his last game for the Red Devils.
Dobson joined the Red Devils from Newcastle Knights back in 2015 and has helped Salford survive a Million Pound Game and guided the side to their first Challenge Cup semi-final for twenty years.
Dobson said: โIโve been thinking about it for the last year and Iโve got a young family and itโs time to take the family home.
โIโve been here for ten seasons now and weโre just ready to go back, settle down and take a step back from full-time rugby league and move onto the next phase.
โIโm going to play a little bit semi-professionally back in Australia and working within another club trying to get my foot in the door within the realm of coaching and development.
โIโve loved it over here Iโve been here for ten years and, Iโll be honest, I never thought Iโd be here this long but thatโs probably why weโve loved it so much.
โObviously, Iโve loved the Salford Red Devils. Weโve had a hard three years but a good three years theyโre a great bunch of lads and coaching staff here and the people who are involved with the club are great have been great, so it was a tough decision.
โMarwanโs ambition alongside the quality of players at the club was the reason I signed and since Ian Watson has come in everythingโs really clicked and itโs made it hard to leave because of how close-knit weโve become but, of course, family has to come first.โ
Head Coach Ian Watson has coached Dobson for almost two years now and knows how important the Australian half-back has been to the Red Devils rise.
Ian Watson said: โMyself and Dobbo sat down in pre-season together to discuss the possibility of this being his last season due to him having a lovely young family, his wife Sally and two young boys, and he felt the time was right to take them back home.
โWhile we hoped Dobbo may change his mind his decision to take his family home is the right one for him but as a person, and a player, he will be greatly missed by both the coaching staff and the playing group here at Salford Red Devils.
โDobbo is someone you can greatly rely on to commit 100% to the cause which is shown in the amount of respect he commands from the coaching staff and players. He has helped drive and install a fantastic work ethic within the team and club as captain.
โHis attitude is one that doesnโt rely on his talents, which are obvious to see, but his desire and hard-working nature which rubs off on all the players around him. His professionalism and performances over the last couple of years for Salford have been a massive reason as to why weโve progressed to being a top eight club.
โOn a personal note, itโll be sad to see Dobbo leave and Iโd like to thank him as he has helped me massively as a young coach with the discussions and time weโve spent together. I wish him and his family all the very best back in Australia and Iโm sure weโll see Dobbo be very successful in the future whether it be in a coaching position or any other ventures he wishes to pursue.โ
Dobson points to the Challenge Cup semi-final as the highlight of his time with the Red Devils.
He said: โTo make it to the Challenge Cup semi-final was really special. The day, the occasion and the atmosphere was unbelievable and it showed the potential the club has as a whole with the players, staff and fans combining to be successful.
โIt makes it tougher for me knowing this club will be playing in the big games going forward but hopefully the fans get behind the boys every week because I certainly will be from home.โ
Red Devils owner Dr Marwan Koukash said: โEveryone would like to thank Michael Dobson for his commitment and effort to the Red Devils over the past three seasons. It has been fantastic to have someone as professional and talented as Michael in our side.โ
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